Is difficulty swallowing and pain in chest upon swallowing a symptom of acid reflux.....?

I had strep a few weeks ago & had to be put on 2 courses of antibiotics to knock it out(21 days), the strep is now gone. But since being sick & being on the antibiotics, I've had heartburn, difficulty swallowing & chest pain upon swallowing & the doctor said he thinks its acid reflux & hastily gave me an acid blocker, which I have yet to take because the heartburn really wasn't THAT bothersome & I didn't think I needed it. (My doctor is one of those that rushes you thru, & not a good listener) My chest is bothering me, sometimes even hurting a little when I breathe (although I've had no chest congestion or coughing), and when I eat, things that don't normally get stuck, are getting stuck at my chest & difficult to get to go down & it's painful. Is this really a symptom of acid reflux? I've never had a problem with acid reflux before, I have none of the other symptoms that I've heard of with acid reflux. Should I get a 2nd opinion? Anyone had this symptom before?

Update:

The reason I am so hesitant at taking the acid blocker meds is because I don't want to take unnecesary medication & because I've heard negative things about acid blockers themselves.

Update 2:

Anyone ever have this problem as a complication of strep? I first noticed it when I had been on my first course of antibiotics for 2 days.

Update 3:

Also, I don't have the money to go out and get unnecessary prescriptions filled. It wouldn't seem to be my heart, if the problem is when I swallow, I would think.

It could possibly be from stress. I'm kind of taking a shot in the dark, but it just sounds kind of like what happened to me. I didn't feel "normal".. I didn't think I really felt stressed, just agitated and restless i guess. That caused more stomach acid to be produced and it caused pressure all over my abdomen and chest. Its strange because a lot of times the pain doesn't come from the stomach area or your throat, but pains in your shoulders and arm and lower stomach and stuff. It would be good to get a checkup and your heart checked just in case, but don't worry too much about it as that will only exacerbate the problem.

The difficulty swallowing also makes me think of stress-related issues. For some reason, thats one of the symptoms of high levels of anxiety. Again, I'm not saying if thats the reason or not since you didn't mention anything about stress or anxiety, its just something to consider. What I took was Omeprazole (pretty sure its generic for Prilosec) and after a week or two, I was feeling much better. And if you do think that anxiety could be the cause of this, mention that as well to your doctor. Try taking time out to just close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and try to calm yourself. Hope I could help.

Acid reflux can cause scar tissue in your throat, making it so you cannot swallow. My brother had the same problem, he got to the point where he couldnt eat for a week. All he could do is drink fluids. Even they were hard for him to swallow. They had to eventually go in, and with an endoscope and balloon his throat. Prescription antacids can help, but see another doctor if you are not happy with yours.

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basically my understanding of not being able to swallow as explained to me was that when i lie down and sleep the acid is like flowing up towards my throat creating a very stiff and swollen feeling that i usually get. So i'm assuming that because of the irritation the acid is providing on your throat, it is swollen and therefore making it difficult to swallow?

You are having the "snowball effect" of being on antibiotics for 21 days. First you take the antibiotics, then the antibiotics make the strep go away but also kill off the beneficial bacteria in your intestines that help with digestion, next you have bad heartburn. Go to Wal-mart or any vitamin shop and purchase some Acidophilus and Papaya Enzymes. The acidophilus will get your intestinal flora back to normal and the papaya enzymes will aid in digestion and help prevent heartburn. I take the extra strength acidophilus, 1 tab daily, but in your case you should take 1 tab 3 times daily and the papaya enzymes can be chewed before eating or if you are experiencing heartburn. You cannot overdose on either one - both are very safe and very inexpensive. Hope you feel better soon.

P.S. I wouldn't take the acid blocker your doctor gave you. Also, drink allot of water.